Process for oxidizing ammonia, ammonium combinations, or organic nitrogen combinations.



- C. T. THURS-SELL & H. L. R. LUNDEN. PROCESS FOROXIDIZINGYAMMQNIA, AMMON UM COMBINATIDNS, O R ORGANIC NITROGEN COMBINATIONS.

APPLICAT ON FILED APR. 10. 1918.

Patented Dec. 24.1918.

ll ll ED %TATE PATENT @FFEQE CARL THEODOR, THO RSSELL AND HARALD LUDVIG REINHOLD LUNDEN, 0F GOTTEN- BORG. SWEDEN.

PROCESS FOR OXIDIZING AMMONIA, AMMONIUM COMBINATIONS, OR, ORGANIC NITROGEN COMBINATIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 10, 1918. Serial No. 227,797.

To all whom it may concern:

f Be it known that we, CARL lnnonon Tnonssnnn, a citizen of Sweden, residing at Sodra Hamngatan 11, Gottenborg, Sweden,-

and HAnALn Louvre Rninrronn LUNDI IN, a citizen of Sweden, residing at Stidra Hannigatan 11, Gottenborg, Sweden, have invent.- ed certain new and useful Improvements lll Processes for Oxidizing Ammonia, Ammonium Combinations, or Organic Nitrogen Combinations, of which the following is a specification.

It is well known that bacteria are to be found in the earth which are able to transform ammonia or ammonium combinations or organic nitrogen combinations into nitrates preferably in the presence of an alkali or a material that forms basic bodieswhen reacting with water, such as magnesium oXid, dolomite, chalk, limestone, feldspar. The bacteria carry out this work that consists in an oxidation, by means of the oxygen of the air. Therefore it is evident that a necessary condition for this is to provide for an ample supply of air.

The solid body upon which the bacteria grow is called a substratum. The nitrificating or nitrate forming bacteria are to be found most abundantly in fertile garden soil, but this material is not lit. for use in plants on a larger scale while, as mentioned above, a good supply of air must be provided and therefore it is necessary in using earth always to keep the same in a loose condition in order to freely admit the air. Thus the earth must be mellowed very often, and this would necessitate a working'power too expensive for making the utilization of this biological process possible in an industrial respect. If, therefore, earth is not suitable as a substratum when working on a larger scale for industrial purposes, it is in all events appropriate as an inoculating material for the development of bacteria upon a suitable substratmn.

A good substratum must have the following attributes.

1. It must be orous, fibered and not silty. muddy or jelly-like for providing agood circulation of air. It must not be silty when a liquid is washed through the same, as it then becomes impervious to air.

2. The substratum must possess a great capacity of absorption in such a way that the liquid to be treated may stay some time in the substratum before it runs on for the purpose of giving the bacteria time to carry out their work.

3. The substratum must contain as little as possible of such materials that can rotor ferment or in any other .Waybe effected by organisms. Moldsand protozoa are enemies of the nitrificating bacteria. But these bacteria eaters are in need of organic nutriment to live, such as cell-substance, straw, carbohydrates, organic acids and the like. On the contrary, the nitrificating bacteria live excellently in substrata having no traces of organic nutriment. lhus the substratum must not contain organic nutriment, and above all no such organic combinations that serve as nutriment for molds and denitrifieating bacteria, 2. 9. bacteria forming free nitrogen out of nitrogen combinations. The best nutriment for such denitrificating bacterm are pentozana which abound in straw.

Therefore the substratum must consist of a solid, porous, fiuily material on which bacteria and carbonate of lime (a physiologically basic body) can fasten, and it must be able to absorb great quantities of liquid and to lying the ammonium salt in the liquid, the carbonate of lime, the oxygen of the air and the bacteria in a contact with each other as intimate as possible.

Thus it is evident that a material must be chosen as substratum that if possible possesses the following attributes; (1) It must allow a good circulation of theair,

(2) it must be able in a high degree to absorb liquids, (3) it must be poor in organic nutrlments, and (4) it must have a rough surface so that the bacteria and the carbonate of lime may fasten on it and not be washed away immediately by the flow of liquid.

Peat has long ago been proposed as substratum. But in the peat the nitrificating bacteria are not to be found, or at least very sparingly. Its fitness depends upon the degree in which it fills the above stated conditions. It is porous and has a great capacity of absorption, but it decomposes easily to slime whereby the admission of air isprevcnted, and it mustbe very carefully seen to that no moldered wood. grass or the like accompanies the peat. Toiletsponge is an excellent material.

Patented Dec. 24,1918.

The pres 'nt invention has for its object to make the oxidation as efl'ective as possible by providing a substratum, that fills the conditions mentioned above as far as possible, in thin layers on shelves having a bottom of network or formed as a strainer. The substratum mixed with a physiologically basic material, such as chalk, that can be well distributed in the substratum at the same time as the bacteria can be well spread and the air come into contact with every part of the layers. The shelves are preferably placed above each other. By intermittently letting the liquid to be treated on to the layers of substratum slime is washed downward to the lower layers which are cleaned more frequenly while the upper layers remain clean during a longer time. By intermittently letting on the liquid the alkaline material placed over the substratum will also be evenly distributed.

In the accompanying drawing a number of shelves at are shown, said shelves being placed above each other and provided with perforated or network bottoms I) Having .thus described our invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by 1 bars P tent is:

1. therein described process, which consists insupporting a relatively thin layer of substratum having an alkali incorporated therewith, said substratum being substantially free from all traces of organic nulri ment, inoculating the substratum with nitrilicating bacteria, and passing a liquid containing an ammonium salt through the substratum in the presence of the air.

2. The herein described. process, which 5 consists in supporting a. plurality oi"? layers of substratum 'in spaced superposed relation, incorporating an alkali with the substratum,

' inoculating the substratum with a nitrificating bacteria, and passing-a liquid containing an ammonium compound through the substratum in the presence of air by apply ing the liquid to the uppermost layer.

3. The herein described process, Which consists in applying an alkali to a porous absorbent substratum being substantially free from all traces. of organic nutriment, inoculating the substratum with a nitrificating bacteria, and supplying to the substratum a liquid containing an ammonium compound in the presence of air.

-l-. The herein described process, which consists in applying calcium carbonate to sponge, inoculating the mass with a nitriticating bacteria, and applying to the mass at liquid containing the compound to be oxidized, in the presence of the air.

5. The herein described process, which consists in supporting a plurality of layers of substratum in spaced superposed relation, incorporating calcium. carbonate with the substratum, inoculated the substratum with a nitrificating biHiiPllfl, and passing a liquid containing an ammonium compound through the substratum in the presence of air by apply ng the liquid to the uppermost layer.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

GARL lHEODOR TIIORSSELL. HARAnD LUDVIG nrnmoru LnNDi'ir Witnesses ROBERT S. SAMUEL, SrLvIss'rER E. ROTHOl-II'LD, Jr. 

